Cigar and method of manufacture



June 11, 1957 G. N. GALLAGHER I CIGAR AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 5 1955 June 11, 1957 G. N. GALLAGHER 2,795,228

CIGAR AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE 7 Filed March 5, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nited States Patent 2,795,228 I CIGAR AND METHOD or MANUFACTURE.

George N. Gallagher, Austin, Tex. Application March 3, 1953, Serial No. 340,059

Claims. (c1.1s1--s9 This invention relates to cigars, cheroots and other similar articles, and more particularly concerns a new and improved method of making articles of this character and the resultant product.

It is generally known that cigars and like articles are formed of filler tobacco wrapped with a binder leaf to hold it in place during the burning or smoking operation. In most instances, an outer wrapper leaf is also used to provide a sturdier and possibly smoother-looking cigar. Normally the binder and wrapper leaves are wound about the filler from the tuck end (the end to be lighted) to the head end in a manner leaving the filler partially exposed to facilitate lighting. The head end is entirely closed and may or may not be pierced during the fabrication process. Piercing improves the drawing characteristics of the cigar, and eliminates the necessity for the user to cut or pierce the head end himself prior to lighting. Whether the head end is cut or pierced, the outer leaves are broken with the result that they frequently unravel after being moistened by the smoker, which materially detracts from the smoking enjoyment. In an effort to avoid this difliculty, pastes and adhesives are often used, but these measures have not proved entirely satisfactory. Moreover, tobacco will swell substantially when exposed to moisture, and pierced openings have been found to close and at least partially impede the drawing characteristics within a short time after the cigar has been lighted. I

With the method of fabrication of cigars, cheroots, stogies, cigarillos and other similar articles according to this invention, the head end is formed during the wrapping process with an opening extending into the filler and with the wrapping or binding leaf extending into and lining the opening without specially forming the leaf, cutting or breaking it or otherwise piercing it so as to leave cut or broken edges surrounding the opening. This opening or inverted head is permanently formed Without the need for adhesives, and as it is substantially wholly l e w th the inder or wr pp leaf, or oth. it will retain its original formation even in the presence of substantial moisture. Thus this invention avoids the difiiculties and disadvantages of prior methods, and results in a new and improved product adding materially to the smoking enjoyment.

Another object of the invention is a method of making cigars and the like, wherein the wrapper and binder leaves are sealed into position at the head end without an adhesive to prevent unravelling and at the same time form an opening into the filler to facilitate drawing of air through the cigar.

Still another object of the invention is a method of wrapping filler tobacco for cigars wherein the naturallyformed leaf may be used to wrap the filler and form an opening in the head end thereof without cutting or piercing the leaf.

A further object is a new and improved cigar having an opening formed in the head end and lined with the 2,795,228 Patented June 11, 1957 ice wrapping or binder leaf, the leaf being formed to curve over the end of the cigar and into the opening.

A still further object is a cigar having a lined opening in the head end retaining a mechanical filter for filtering the cigar smoke.

' The above and other objects of this invention will become more apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings forming part of this application.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a tobacco leaf used for wrapping and binding the filler of cigars;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one-half of the leaf of Fig. 1 with the midrib removed and the filler in position on the leaf preparatory to wrapping or binding;

Fig. 3 is a plan view'of the leaf of Fig. -2 partially wrapped about the filler;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 3 along the line 4--4 thereof;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 show successive steps following that shown in Fig. 3 in the formation of the head of the cigar;

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 7 taken along the line 8-8 thereof;

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a modified embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 10 is a plan view of a half leaf of tobacco similar to Fig. 2 but with short filler in place preparatory to the start of the wrapping process.

One of the important advantages of this invention re.- sides in the use of a naturally-formed leaf-half for wrapping the filler and forming the lined opening in the head of the cigar. This is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 wherein the whole leaf is denoted by the numeral 10, while halves of the leaf are denoted by the numerals 12 and 14.. The whole leaf is prepared for wrapping or binding by moistening the leaf and removing the midrib or rnidstem 16 so that the resultant half-leaf may be formed about the filler 18 shown in Fig. 2.

The filler 18, which in the illustrated form is known as longfiller and may be formed of shredded or cut leaves bunched tightly together to form the body of the cigar. The length and contour of the filler largely determines the size and shape of the final product and must therefore be properly formed prior to the wrapping or binding operation of which Fig. 2 is the initial step. In certain cases the filler may be made of more finely shredded tobacco or tobacco scrap. In this case a some what wider leaf-half is used as shown in Fig. 10 and denoted by the numeral 14A. The scrap 18A is bunched at one end of the leaf-half as shown, and as the leaf is wrapped, about the scrap, additional material is added, producing a cigar of the desired size and shape. As Figs. 2 and 10 represent the same step in the wrapping operation, only Fig. 2 will be described.

With the long filler 18 positioned generally parallel to be leaf veins 2!) and with one end 22 spaced from the edge 24 of the leaf, the leaf is rolled about the filler. The wrapping is started by wrapping the leaf end 26 snugly about the filler 18 and then rolling the filler toward the other end of the leaf. This is of course accomplished by laying the moistened leaf 14 on a fiat surface large enough to support both the leaf and the filler. Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate, quite clearly, the wrapping procedure wherein the filler 18 is at least in part covered by two layers of the leaf 14. The rolling operation is completed by continuing to roll the filler in the direction of the arrow 28 until the filler is completely covered as shown in Fig. 5. The end 22 of the filler 18 forms the tuck end of the cigar which is the end that is lighted. The other end 30 of filler 18 and the last to be covered is the head end, and in Fig. 5 it will be observed that the wrapped leafv 14 extends a substantial distance above the that will permit the leaf 14 to unravelor otherwise become.

loose and ragged.

This inverted head is attained by twisting that portion 1 of the leaf that extends above the head end 30 of the filler 18 into the form of a cone 32. The formed cone 32 is one wholly extending beyond the end of the filler 18. The twisting isdone careiully and deliberately, and continued until a reasonable tight twist is;secured and the filler is gentlygcurved inwardly as shown at 34. Now

, proof paper or other pliable. material can be forced into since the filler 18 is made up of longitudinally disposed strands or pieces of tobacco, and as tobacco is readily compressible, the tight twist is pushed downwardly into the filler end 30. With this action the twist begins to unwind within the filler and the operation can be completed by the use of a blunt round instrument for forcing the twisted end 32 completely within the filler 18. The unwinding of the leaf 14 within the filler forms a firm opening into the filler that is lined with the wrapping leaf 14.

The finished cigar is shown in Fig. 7 with the opening 36 extending well into the filler 18. The head end 30 is gently rounded as at 34 with the leaf 14 extending down into the opening 36 to form a substantially complete lining denoted by the numeral 38. A cross-sectional view of the head end of a finished cigar in accordance with the. invention is shown in Fig. 8.

While the formation of the lined opening36 was de scribed in connection with long filler, the same structure is readily obtainable when scrap filler is used as discussed in connection with Fig. .10. In some instances it may be found that the leaf is somewhat long for carrying out the inversion process above described. In that event, it is preferable to completethe twist 32 as described in connection with Fig. 6 and then cut off the twisted portion to the desired length. While proper choice of leaves will avoid any necessity for cutting the twist at all, this procedure clearly eliminates any special shaping or cutting of the leaf save the simple procedure of snipping off part of the twist in the event it is desired to make a shorter opening 36.

This invention not only provides a highly improved.

and simplified method of forming cigars and similar articles, but also provides a method of securely anchoring the head end of the leaf to prevent any possible unravelling.. Moreover, and particularly in the case of scrap fillers, the filler cannot come through the opening 36 as in the case of cigars fabricated in the more conventional processes such as piercing and the like.

Fig. 9 is a modified form of cigar in accordancewith this invention, and includes the positioning of a tube 40 within the opening 36. Itlwill be noted that the finished opening 36 of Fig. 8 is slightly conical in shape. With this formation, a cylindrical filter or tube 40 of waterthe opening 36 and held in by the pressure of the filler 18 inwardly against the filter.

It is obvious that certain modifications may be made in the method without departing from the spirit and scope of the. invention.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of making cigars and the like compris.

ing the steps of forming a filler of tobacco, wrapping at least part of a leafv about the filler with a portion thereof extending beyond the end of the filler, twisting the extending portion of the leaf into a conical form wholly extending beyond the end of the filler, and then forcing the twisted leaf portion down into the end of the filler to form a lined opening through the end of the cigar and extending into the filler.

2. The method of making cigars and the like comprising the steps of forming a filler, encasing said filler in a wrapper with partof the wrapper extending beyond the filler, twisting the extending wrapper part into a conical form wholly extending beyond the end of the filler, and forcing the conical twisted portion into the filler to form a lined opening therein.

3. The method of making cigars wherein a filler is encased in at least one wrapper which has a portion thereof extending beyond the end of the filler, comprising the steps of twisting the extending portion of the wrapper into a conical form wholly extending beyond the end of the filler, and then forcing ,the twisted portion into the filler to form a lined opening therein.

4. The method of making a cigar comprising the steps of forming a filler of substantially the shape and size of the finished cigar,.encasing the filler in at least one wrappet with a portion thereof extending beyond one end of said filler, twisting the extending portion of the wrapper tightly into the form of a cone wholly extending beyond the end of the filler with the central axis of the twist generally aligned with the axisof the filler, and then forcing said twisted portion axially into the filler to form a lined opening therein.

5. The method of making a cigar comprising the steps of forming a filler of substantially the shape and size of the finished cigar, encasing the filler in at least one wrapper with a portion thereof extending beyond one end of the filler twisting the extending portion of the wrapper tightly into the. form of a cone wholly extending beyond 1 the end of the filler with the :central axis of the twist generally aligned with the axis of the filler, and then forcing said twisted portion axially into said filler while permitting a reversal of motion of successively inverted parts of the twist to form a permanent lined opening therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 186,628 Schalscha Jan. 23, 1877 1,217,590 Goldberger Feb. 27,1917 1,520,761 McLean Dec. 30, 1924 1,892,402 Lankering Dec. 27, 1932 1,916,774 Somerville July 4, 1933 1,996,962 Hoke Apr. 9, 1935 2,023,370 Lincoln Dec. 3, 1935 

